Democracy Now! Blog

Over 50 students, faculty and staff at The Cooper Union in New York have begun a sit-in inside the office of the school’s president, Jamshed Bharucha. The school recently announced an end to its longstanding tradition of free tuition for all undergraduates. [includes rush transcript]

The Mississippi Supreme Court has blocked the execution of Willie Jerome Manning just hours before he was scheduled to die. The case attracted national attention after the FBI admitted that its original analysis of the evidence in Manning’s case contained errors. Last week the Mississippi Supreme Court refused to allow new DNA testing that could prove Manning’s innocence.

The FBI added Assata Shakur to its Most Wanted Terrorist List today. Shakur becomes the first woman ever to make the list and only the second domestic terrorist to be added to the list. Shakur is a former member of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army. In 1998, Democracy Now! aired a rare recording of Shakur speaking from Cuba where she has lived in exile since she escaped prison in 1979. Tune in Friday when we will cover these latest developments.

Amid the ongoing violence in Iraq, a young, pregnant soldier has been sent to prison this week for desertion. She refused to return to the war in Iraq back in 2007. Pfc. Kimberly Rivera first deployed to Iraq in 2006. She guarded the gate at Forward Operating Base Loyalty in eastern Baghdad at a time when the base was under constant attack. She said of the experience: “I had a huge awakening seeing the war as it truly is: People losing their lives for greed of a nation, and the effects on the soldiers who come back with new problems such as nightmares, anxieties, depression, anger, alcohol abuse, missing limbs and scars from burns. Some don’t come back at all.”

The Boston Marathon bombing and its aftermath has dominated the nation’s headlines. Yet, another series of explosions that happened two days later and took four times the number of lives, has gotten a fraction of the coverage.

To mark the passing of legendary protest singer Richie Havens, we are sharing his performance of "Freedom" at the massive Feb. 15, 2003, demonstration against the Iraq War, which took place in New York City as millions filled the streets around the world.

A new film directed by Robert Greenwald looks at four whistleblowers who had their lives practically destroyed after they went to the press with evidence of government wrongdoing. They are Michael DeKort, Thomas Drake, Franz Gayl and Thomas Tamm. [includes rush transcript]

In part two of our interview with Somali human rights activist and physician, Dr. Hawa Abdi, she describes how thousands of Somalis were killed in the 1993 attack in Mogadishu that is best known for killing 18 elite U.S. special forces. She also discusses her book, "Keeping Hope Alive," which shares what has happened in the 22 years since the war broke out in her country, and the work she has done at her clinic to offer healthcare and emergency relief to thousands of Somalis. [includes rush transcript]

As more than 100 Guantánamo prisoners continue their hunger strike, we speak to British journalist Victoria Brittain. She has just published a book about the wives and families of some of the prisoners held at Guantánamo and on British and U.S. soil. [includes rush transcript]

Part two of our interview with Amira Hass, the only Jewish-Israeli journalist to have spent almost 20 years living in and reporting from Gaza and the West Bank. Christiane Amanpour has described her as "one of the greatest truth-seekers of them all." [includes rush transcript]

As legislative efforts grow to target activists who expose animal abuse, former animal rights prisoner Andrew Stepanian talks about the secretive prison where he was held and the detention of environmentalist Daniel McGowan last week. [includes rush transcript]

In part two of our conversation, Icelandic Parliamentarian Birgitta Jónsdóttir talks about why she decided to come to the United States at a time when a grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, is investigating WikiLeaks and Julian Assange. Jónsdóttir, a former WikiLeaks volunteer, also talks about her support for whistleblower Bradley Manning and other cyber-activists. We also talk about Iceland’s response to the banking crisis. [includes rush transcript]

A stunning indictment has been handed down in Cincinnati, focusing attention again on police killings of people of color. This is a start for accountability and justice. Cleveland should pay attention. As the thousand people gathered there last weekend said clearly, “Black Lives Matter.”

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